Cotton-elevator.



C. S. MTDDLETON &D.' B. THOMPSON. COTTON ELEVATOR. APPLICATION FILEDJULYM. |915. LMUJTQ. Patentedsepr.18,1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

c. s. MIDDLE-'10N L D. B. THOMPSON.

coUoN ELEvAToR. APPLICATION FILED JULY I4. I9I5.

l mi 'F4-ATE i4 1L CHARLES S. IVIIDDLETON AND DREWDIE B. THOMPSON, OF BLAKELY, GEORGIA.

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neionse.

Specication `of Letters Patent.

Patented sept. is, fait.

Application filed July 14, 1915. Serial No. 39,908.

of the United States, residing at Blakely,

in the county of Early and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Elevators; and we do hereby declare the following to bea full,

clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichv it appertains to make and use the same. i

This invention relates to cotton elevators, and has for an object to produce an elevator of improved type wherein and whereby cotton may be continually elevated and deposited 1in the gin feeders without interruption for permitting the cotton to fall from the screen orwithout interrupting the flow of cotton.

A further object 'of the invention is to interpose between the usual suction fan and the usual flexible suction nozzle a` trunk comprising two independent cotton-conveying ducts disposed between two independent air ducts isolated from each other but respectively communicating with the cotton ducts, and means to simultaneously and alternately open and close the cotton ducts and their communicating air ducts so that the cotton carried into one cotton duct by the air suction is left in a dead space and permitted to fall into the gin feeder in substantially the usual and ordinary mannerV when the suction is interrupted in a single i cotton elevator.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangethrough the cotton ducts showing the air ducts in end elevation as taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through both the air ducts and the cotton ducts taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the top of the gin feeder with the air and cotton ducts `removed'therefrom taken on line 4 5 of Figs. 2 and 3 looking downwardly. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the unde-r side of the trunk taken on line 4 5 of Figs. 2 and 3 and looking upward.

Figo is a view in elevation of twogins with their feeders and a cotton elevator of the present type associated therewith.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. i

Thecotton elevator which forms the subject-matter of this application is used in conjunction with an exhaust fan of the usual and ordinary type shown at 10 and a iiexible section nozzle 11 also of the usual and ordinary type. The presentinvention resides in the horizontal portion or trunk disposed over the gins and gin feeders and connected with the fan upon one side by an air duct 12 and upon the other side with the flexible nozzle by thecotton `duct 13.

Where the trunk passes over the gins, two of which have been indicated in dotted lines at Fig. 6 as 14, it branches to form the twin ducts 15 and 16 `closed at their forward endsas at 15". Switch valves 17 and 18 are hinged adjacent the `branch of the cotton duct 13 and are connected to operate in unison by alink 19. Oneof the valve stems is provided with a crank arm 20 by which thevalves 17 and18 are actuated in unison to switch the iiow of cotton alternately into the ducts 15 and 16.

At the other end of the trunk the air duct 12 branches to form the branch air ducts' 21 and 22 which pass along outside the twin ducts as seen in Fig. 5 and have their rear ends closed at 21. To control the exhaust of air from Itheducts 21 and 22 in unison with the flow of cotton to the ducts 15 and 16 a valve 23 is located at the branch of the air ducts as shown more particularly at Fig. 1 and is provided with a crank arm 24 to `which is connected a link 25 extending also to the crank arm 20 whereby all of the valves 17, 18 and 23 are actuated in unison. The actuation of the valves may be, and in practice probably will be, accomplished mechanically, but it may also be accomplished manually and means is shown at Fig. 6 for carrying out the actuation of the valves manually by extending the pintle of the valve 23 downwardly through the chute as shown at 26 and providing it with a crank arm as shown at 27l in position to be engaged and operated manually.

Beneaththey several vbranch ducts 15, 16,` 21 and 22 a double gin feeder is employedV having the compartments 28 and 29 pro' vided with cotton valves 30 and 31 and the usual and ordinary screens 33. The gin feeder is divided from top to bottom byv a partition 34: so that each of the compartments upon the opposite sides of such `partition 31vis lin communication with one of the branch cotton ducts, the latter being open watthe bottom for this purpose as indicated sets 32 in the `walls of the feeder, and the offsets are connected with/said `compartments through the screens 33 as shown. It follows that .the communication between either airI duct as 21 and its contiguous cotton` duct 15 is downward fromthe latter,

. through the screen 33, upwardwithin the offset32, and through the opening 32 into the'air duct 21-rather than direct from the cotton ductthrough the screen into the air duct.`

The cotton drawn into the branch cotton,

duct 15as shown at Fig. 3 by the exhaust of theair in the branch air duct 21 will Of course fall into the compartment 29 except such portion'thereof as gathers `upon the screen 33,' and this continues in the usual and -`ordinary manner as long as the branch air. `duct 21 is under exhaust. When, however, the several valves 17, 18 and 23 are shifted to dotted line position as shown at Fig. `1 the cotton will be drawn.l into the branch, duct 16 by reason of the exhausting of thebranch. vair ,duct 22, and the cotton duct V15 .and air-duct 21 'will bedead per-'- mittingwhe` cotton already gathered upon the-sereenv'33 todrop into the compartment 29 past the cottonvalve 31 in the usual and ordinary manner. The partingwall 34 be tweenthetwin ducts andthe coincident partition 34E-form `an air-tight barrier between.

Gente; ef ,thispat'ent mayl be. `ob'cainelzifor they ducts 16, 22 which are now at work and the ducts 15, 21 which are now dead; and we find it Aextremely effective to` provide this barrier ,in place of any gate or valve, since theleast leakage through the latter would interrupt the successful action of they cotton.

Being of a light, iiufr'y nature, it is easilysubjectto drafts, `and in order to permit it to drop out of the duct 15 and o' of the screen 33, this side of the'` device shouldbeabsolutely dead as stated. Even the valve 30 is serviceable, because the suction within the ducts 16, 22`now draws this valve up-` ward and closes it across, the compartment r 28 and prevents anyrsuction: at ,the4 lower end. of the partition `341C which would interrupt the falling of the cottonthrough theV compartment 29 and into the gin. f

It `willthus be apparent that eachl of the screens is under exhaust one-half of the time and the cotton is being fed through one of f the branch cotton ducts one-half of the time and throughtheother one-half ofthe time,

the other half ofthe time each of-.said ducts being dead, permitting ythecotton tofall into the feeder. It will also be apparent that the conveying of cotton throughy 'the nozzle and into the feederswill be continuous and without any interruption forpermitting the screens' to clearthemselves as has heretofore been found necessary,v Y

In a pneumatic cotton elevator, anr intake nozzle and an air tube alined'therewith, a

distributing trunktherebetween having 'pari i allel inner cotton ducts. with 'al partition centered withthe nozzle end,a valve chamber connectingr said ducts and the nozzle, and

cotton valves for'alternate engagement with the near end of the partition, lateral .air

ducts parallelin'g` the cotton ducts,y suction inlets inthebottom of saidv air ,ducts for'- communicating with an attached feeder, con-` vergent air branches attached `to 4the spaced rear ends of the air ducts, and to the air tube, a single valvein said air branches, and

connecting means between the cotton valves and the air valve.

In testimony whereof We afxour signa- Y tures.

CHARLES S. MIDDLETON. DREWDIE B. THOMPSON.

ve cents each, by,addressing Vthe .Commissionen ofv latenti.- Washington, D. C. j 

